Landro was talking to the guard, while being observe by someone in black robe..

then landro just entered the guards barracks..

The mysterious person is waiting for landro, several minutes until he's outside the guards barracks...

The mages suddenly felt he's been observed by someone...

"(It must be my imagination... But I'll take precautions) "

Landro is heading home as he take his purposes, rushingly.. the person in black robe still tailing him...

but landro didn't realize he's been followed...

I realized he's on the tower doorstep...

" Railee is everything prepared...???"

"Aye aye sir.. everything is settled..."

" Well then, what are we waiting for, we must make haste to the North gate.. but before that, here is your emblem...Remember do not lost it or you can never go back here..

Okay...

" Yes sir I'll protect it with my life..."

" Good..."

We rushed as heading to the portal,

With emblems that can only acquired in guards barracks approved by head guard.. the process takes too long, but if your like landro... getting it was just a piece of cake.. I observed everything here at rhufinya, i understand how portals works.. i understands how status is so much valuable to everyone..

" Were here, place your emblem on your right hand then raise it so that the portal will recognize it.."

" Just like this?? Oh I get it here..."

Then light coming out of portal covering us for seconds in count of two we disappeared.. the mysterious person has it too so, continue to follow...

The person in black robe.. waiting for a couple of minutes to pass... After that enter the portal...

This is North gate, but landro is looking at a portal for a brief moment, railee sense landro's weird actions..

"Is anything alright sir landro!??"

I ask with confusion reflected on my face...

" No just, nothing Mr railee.. oh we're here "

We both walking towards the gate, one guard is waving his hands...

Railee explore his eyes, the gate is huge, it must be 10 meters high, on the top there is a small roofed station, it was a long wall, like a great wall of China... you couldn't see the end of it..

He count about, 32 guards on top and 15 on the ground... Three guard assisting people entry and exit of the gate..

" It's been a long time no see, papers sir!"

The guard lay his hand while smiling..

" Well here it is.."

landro handed the pass gave by head guard..

" Ohh a merchant pass.. can I have a favor, if happens you get back in here, can you spare me two moonflower for my baby!! Don't worry I'll pay for it.."

The guard ask with smile...

" Well if you say so..." Landro smile

While landro and guard was busy chattering, railee saw a person came out from the portal, then disappeared, i was shocked for a while..

"Mr Railee come on we better go.. is there a problem?"

Landro was confused

" Nothing sir.."

But who is that person anyway.. guess this world's has so much mystery... I cant wait to solved, im puzzled..

Just few centimeters to pass the gate, the knight guard on the horse while running he was shouting...

" Closed the gate, by emperors order... "

Seems landro don't want to be lockdown instead we run towards the gate..

" We better hurry "

As we stepped outside, the gate closed... We barely made it accordingly... As i noticed, too many individuals on the outside gate, they're definitely annoyed... Cause they can't enter rhufinya anymore...

And whispering about the vashna new empress... After destroyed...

Hey is that true!! I thought its just a random dreams... Is it that possible... No probably just coincidence...

They're definitely looking at us, while walking away from the Gates...

" Is that landro!!! failure always following him.."

"poor kid, probably didn't know anything about his master..."

"Someone saw landro, right after he abandon his colleagues.. left them to die.. what a coward.. "

" why rhufinya accept that kind of person"

" is that the coward mage"

" maybe emperor took pity on him.."

" he's a former vashna citizen right.."

" pathetic coward.."

just when i almost shout to those commoners... Landro hold my arms, i can see it in his eyes... that it's okay.. they're cruel against him..

I just look him, his face was unreadable , i can't predict what he was thinking by now...

" Oh ho.. Sir landro destination sir!! I have a carriage for you, and it's ready.."

He hired two carriage guard just in case... but they insisted assisting him...

" How much!!!"

" That depends on your destination..."

"Vashna... How much cost for vashna!!!"

" I can transport you anywhere, but vashna... Sounds a problem, So as my safety measures... Pardon me to resist.. try another carriages, maybe they're willing..."

What's wrong with this people...

One of the carriage driver... Looks so suspicious...

" Is that you landro, what a pleasant surprise... After all you've done to your colleagues, now you have guts to return to your Homeland after it became ruins... Sounds like no one wants to go there..."

This carriage driver is arrogant..

But...

" I can get you there for 20 rhufee "

" Why it's doubled the original fare price?!!" Landro protesting...

" Well as you can see no one's wanted to transport you there, but me I will die without money so you accept or just walk 200 miles.. do we have a deal?? You can pay me when we get there but first I need down payment halve the price... "

" Well sounds like I have no choice but to accept your offer... In your dreams... Common Mr railee we start walking away from these lowlife..."

As we walking away.. the carriage driver still insist to transport us.. for landro.. dealing with the driver to slash off the price... Im Imazed about his skills... suddenly the price for transport went by.. and you won't believe it...

" just 8 rhufee...!!! Are you serious..."

The driver is shock but.. He's crying thanking sir landro...

"Ehem ehem we must make haste, time is precious"

landro said

As the carriage moving slowly then it starts rushing the horse now running ..

"oh my god.. yay "

" you ok back there mr. railee.??"

" do you think i am.. I was worried about the carriage because the road was very rocky, it keeps on bouncing."

" Ha,ha,ha,ha... Hold on tight... "

Im surprised sir landro didn't mind it at all, he was thinking deeply...

The carriage driver looking at us maybe he was trying to decieve sir landro... but how unfortunate for the driver... it didn't flinch sir landro's patience...

The scenery is very beautifull.. very out of this world... In our travel I saw different kind of plants,animals and trees... Even the floating mountains,

Seriously!!! How are they float anyway!! Grasshopper land on my backpack but lizard looking and has a wings like dragonfly... Ohh my God.. that one looks like a unicorn but his body like a kangaroo... Why is everything so weird... A monkey looking dog, a dear looking rat and have horns like carabao, ohh that one is a tarsier head but giraffes body... Many more amazed me so much..

" It's getting dark we must reach that huge trees our stop over for today.." the carriage driver said..

The trees has body of maybe 40 meters in diameter and 100 meters high or much more than that.. at the bottom of the trees there are many carriage and private bodyguard

" Welcome to nightgated inn or should I say paradise... " Carriage driver said happily..

" Ahm Mr driver I've never seen anything like it...?" Railee was amazed..

" Don't call me Mr driver please.. every living organism has a name, just so you know... Sigh.. let me introduce myself to you.. ahem my.."

"His name was Cedric... The illusionist... "

Said by the person sitting with his colleagues, while drinking... After that, they laughed so hard...

" grrrr those bastards didn't pay me exactly when I transport them here a day ago..."

" O yeah those bastards didn't pay me exactly when I transport them here a day ago... Hahahaha... You deserve that.. overpricing moron, but we pay you anyway... Is there a problem with that ? Brothers, looks like we need to teach this Cedric how to treat costumers..."

Before the man continue his brother hold his arms then he whisper something that make him calm.. with a surprise reaction registered on his Haggard face...

" Maybe your luck has granted you this time Mr driver .."

the man glared his angered at Cedric and to sir landro... After that they resume chatting.. ignoring us...

Cedric was still angry...

" i said im not mr. driver i am cedric"

many people on the lobby saw the commotion and they noticed a familiar mage...

people are chattering..

".. is that landro.. I heard one of the guard from vashna, he abandoned his colleagues right after fighting a monster... they've been left to die.."

" No he run off.. shaving his ass back to his momma.."

" I heard that the monster still rampaging near galagarth holds.."

" Is that for real? So if a great mage run off at that kind of monster maybe we should stay away from galagarth.."

" I heard that some refugees from vashna died from that monster, while passing runder cave.."

" vashna a well trained citizens known for their ancient fighting skill's.. died instantly while fighting that monster... They have the most efficient soldiers in this continent.. so I doubted landro's actions... Maybe we must not judge him for what actions he made.."

Landro heard everything...

" Is there any available room on the upper floor.."

landro ask on the merchant desk...

" Yes we have... 6 rhufee... For 1 day.." merchant reply...

" Yes please" landro handed the payment..

" Come follow me" then the merchant start walking

Everyone is silent till we reached the upper room..

" Here is your key... It's yours for a day.. oh... by the way you must surrender the key before you leave..." The merchant told landro...

" This is good we have 4 beds.. the room is so nicely clean , I need to find the bathroom... I m all dirty" Cedric says...

" I will prepare our dinner " i said

But landro still silent.. he was looking on the window... With moonlight barrier...

Landro's remembered the incident, on what has really happened back then...

10 years ago...

Landro was once a great mages, he was respected by every citizens of vashna and even the empress honored landro's achievements.. but jealousy over landro, her name was mia.. mia was landro's former classmates at vashna mage University... Mia is jealous about being always second to the class... Even when they became teachers landro's students always honored... She always at second place.. when the time that empress summoned mia and landro she was become landro's assistant...

Mia didn't accept defeat...

He forge a plan to kill landro...

Mia started thief status on every mages teachers in vashna... Vashna has 30 mages teachers all in all including the retired mages teachers...

The council meeting about teachers getting murdered...

Landro and mia's assignment, their tasked to capture the culprit behind mage teachers murders...

Days had pass but the murderer still on the block... Continuously murdering teacher's...

And the last teachers murdered...

The other day mia told landro and every mage on the council that the culprit is sighted near galagarth..

it was seen by mia's asset entering runder cave, Mia imply according to the report...

Then landro after heard what Mia told them...

Landro didn't waste time...

He ask for his colleagues to eradicate that monster before it's too late...

They've plan for countermeasures...

The day has come.. they reached runder cave, but to their surprised.. there is no evidence that someone is living here.. it's too late for landro to understand it well, that they've been trickly deceive..

Mia cast her spell ability all of a sudden.. while hiding the Rock next to them...

"Ability status depleted" mia cast

" Ability ignore" Landro fast reaction..

But his colleagues hit by mia's ability..

" Ability guardian.." landro's cast

" Ability snare" Mia cast..

Landro didn't affect by mia's ability but his colleagues didn't expect everything...

" Why mia? of all people .."

"Why ? You didn't know how my life destroyed by you.."

Mia told him everything, about her jealousy and her plot to kill landro and every mage in vashna...

"No Mia why? "

" I'm more brilliant than you landro, you ruined my life, for doing so, I have a pleasant surprised for each and everyone of you... I snatched every status of them.. what happened if all of that status stack at one monster... Any idea?? well you can guess Hahaha... Here it is my creation.. "

the monster looks was a minotaur... According to research minotaur can define status by the size... But it wasn't normal minotaur it has 10 times the size means they cannot damage it with magic only blades can scratch it...

" Surprised landro hahahaha ... This cave will be your grave... Oh by the way I will leave and I will tell the empress that you left and abandoned us, Isn't it very amazing hahaha... Bye landro I might just give you a big wet kiss... Ba bye... My pet.. first, kill those snared and don't kill them fast, just make it slow pieces by pieces okay..."

" Raawwwwrrrr"

Then Mia disappeared on sight...

" Master I'm glad that I will die by your side..." Rofu said

" Master I don't wanna die please save me... " Emi said

" Master run... Now leave us... "

" Ability despel..." But the snare has on different power level maybe it was from the mage she murdered..

He couldn't wait... The minotaur was closing in...

" Ability fissures..." Landro making a move to stop the minotaur but even the most powerful shield, with one swoop by minotaur it breaks and breaks and breaks...

Until... He used almost everything.. but he just couldn't stop it... minotaurs axe blocked by his magical barrier.. the barrier was thin... It broke then throw him at the cave wall... His body received fatal wounds.. after that he was completely ignored... minotaur start grabbing his colleagues

" Hey you im here... Fuck you... Come over here.. here.. he.."

He saw everything how the minotaur torn them pieces by pieces... The screams it's like music to minotaur I can't do a thing I can't stop it... I lost my will now I am afraid afraid of being killed... I was betrayed, trapped... I was helpless... Landro tried to stop the minotaur from slaughtering his colleagues.. but now they died and the minotaur looking at him now his eyes his claws.. landro felt afraid...

The minotaur reached him and he suddenly fell unconscious when he felt the grip of him...

The next thing happened was nothing to remembered..

He open his eyes but now his outside runder cave ..

he remembered what happened and a glimpse of his eyes from that minotaur...

A person on black robe with blade attacking that minotaur, I suddenly drop by the minotaur, but the person in black robe I can't see it's movements its way too fast for my eyes... And that's all I remembered... Wish someone didn't help me out there.. I'd rather died that day... Than bearing regrets...

my body recovered from injuries after three days hiding in the rock,

because the minotaur is roaming back in fourth outside and inside the cave.. even now a glimpse on his red eyes make my knees tremble's

now my body partially recovered, i need to get back to vashna

at last im at vashna's city wall

but they didn't want me to go inside they treat me as an outsiders...

I was here exiled.. i deserve this...

But somehow, something emerge in my heart... Burned my desires... Desire to make my final comeback..

Take my revenge on mia and to that minotaur...

mia truly ruined my reputation to coverup his true intent

I never told anyone what happened that day...

The person in black robe.. who are you..

As i walking into this desert... The emperor's knights passing by..

Right then..

They give me shelter... Thanks for helping jharl Ruth.. if it wasn't you..

I didn't survive jorgins desert...